lThe house of city police chief Sujoy Chakrabortyís daughter Maitrayee Sanyal, in New Alipore, was robbed on Wednesday night. With the New Alipore police station unaware of the incident, deputy commissioner of police, south, Kuldeep Singh stepped in on Thursday afternoon to start investigations. Singh later said a case has been started and four persons had been detained for interrogation. The DC, south, said two miscreants are suspected to have pulled out valuables with a long stick through an open window. The culprits could not be traced till late on Thursday.

Calcutta High Court passed a verdict asking the state government not to allow polluting vehicles in the Calcutta metropolitan area. The court said Bharat Stage-II should be strictly implemented to safeguard the health of citizens. The division bench of Chief Justice A.K. Mathur and Justice J. Biswas directed the state to see that vehicles plying in the city convert to LPG, CNG or conventional fuel system within one year. The court also directed the state to take all possible measures to increase the number of LPG and CNG outlets in the city. The judges said an expert committee set up by the court had opined that auto emission was responsible for 50 per cent pollution in the city.

Former chief minister Jyoti Basu will sign a pledge on Friday to donate his body after death. Along with him CPM state secretary Anil Biswas and Left Front chairman Biman Bose will also sign similar pledges at Susrut Eye Foundation in Salt Lake. Basu had announced his decision three months ago.

One person was arrested from Salt Lakeís CJ block for allegedly using a residential complex for commercial purposes. Sarod Singh was arrested by the Bidhannagar (south) police on Thursday on the basis of a complaint lodged by the landlord, a former IPS officer. According to police sources, Singh was running a business in computers at the house for a year-and-a-half. The State Electricity Board had also disconnected power supply to the office.

A nine-year-old boy drowned in a sewer channel on Thursday evening at Topsia, following a sudden discharge from the Topsia pumping station. The boy was taken to National Medical College and Hospital where he was pronounced brought dead.